Stockholm
by XOXbrokenAnimedreamsXOX
Summary: Tamaka Orin was a normal High School student whose life makes a turn for the worst. She suddenly finds herself in a world of chaos, starting from the moment she peaked Izaya's interest. The said male unwillingly drags Tamaka into an entirely different world, one where she works for the police, mixes with different gangs, the country's most dangerous men and mysterious monsters.
1. Chapter 1

**1**.

"Tama~ what's taking you so long?"

She paused her movements, the small vile of liquid hidden in her enclosed palm. With a look of annoyance she glanced over her shoulder, meeting gazes with Izaya.

"I literally just started Izaya; I'm sure even you can wait for thirty seconds…" When she turned back to the cocktails, she acted quickly, pouring a good amount of the liquid into the drink on her right side. Her heartbeat was erratic; she was so close to completing her mission.

In a fluid movement she slid the vile back into the hidden pocket on her sleeve, during the motion of reaching for both drinks.

"Tamaka…"

Her muscles tensed as Izaya's breath rolled down the back of her neck. A firm hand landed on her waist. "Did you really think that I wouldn't notice?" The playful tone was sharp, causing Tamaka's heart to ache. Izaya almost sounded…. Disappointed

Just his one hand was able to force her waist to twist, forcing her to face him. And of course he expressed nothing but amusement; Tamaka shouldn't have expected anything different.

She flinched as Izaya's finger traced her jaw line, his lips twitched; "I have to admit, I'm impressed by your stupidity; poisoning my drink while I'm in the same room."

Tamaka tried to inch away, but Izaya had her firmly pressed against the counter. His grip on her waist tightened. "That's why you were always my favorite; you do the silliest things, Tama-chan!"

Tamaka had prepared to meet his wrath; she knew her heart was going to break, and even after preparing herself she found it hard to stay still, to keep a strong face. Without her consent, her eyes watered.

For the briefest moment, he paused. His pupils watched the lone bead of water roll down her cheek and cling to her chin. Very noticeably, his expression grew stern. His fingers curled around the drink in [Name's] left hand, and yanked it into his own grasp.

"What are you waiting for?" [Name] stiffened a sob, "drink up m'dear~"

[Name] didn't know why her stomach clenched at his command; this was her plan, wasn't it?

She was always going to dispose of Izaya Orihara, and herself if that's what it takes…

Her mind blanked as Izaya's fingers dug into her flesh; she could read no emotion on him as he leaned close, lips brushing her ear. "Drink it," and she did. And suddenly nothing mattered. [Name] didn't try to hide her sorrow and disgust with herself as she watched Izaya form a smirk, and take a sip of the drink she had poured for herself-the one without the mystery vile. The slightest relief lifted off of her shoulders.

It was over; everything was over.

Izaya's eyes narrowed into a glare, features twisting as his balance grew unsteady. "Wh… What the hell did you do?!" Tamaka took a step out of his reach, just as he lunged forward. She tried to smile.

"The liquid you just caught me pouring was an antidote of sorts; it slows down the poison by roughly a half hour." Tamaka had not expected to see Izaya smirk; not after he had lost.

Anger, fury, grief perhaps, but not amusement

"And the poison isn't going to kill you; it just messes with your brain. It wipes all of your long-term memories," she sucked in a shaky breath, "you won't even remember yourself. It supposedly hurts like hell, too."

Suddenly, with a strength Tamaka didn't think capable, Izaya pulled her down to the floor with him, bringing her body underneath his. Her stomach flipped as his face hovered above hers; she desperately felt the need to kiss him. Instead she felt his hands on her wrists, pinning them above her head. "You spiked the entire bottle," his words were lighter than normal, as was his laugh. She could feel his grip weakening.

In her ear he whispered "this is why you're my favorite…"


	2. Chapter 2

**Author's Note: Hey everyone! I thought I would just make a note to say that chapter one for this story takes place in the future, so technically, this chapter is where the story starts. It was just a little teaser ~ btw this story is also being posted on Quizilla under XOXbrokenAnimedreamsXOX and that version is reader insert. **

**2.**

"Tamaka, please come into my office."

The girl looked up from the floor, hesitating before she followed Mr. Crawford into his office. Tamaka had only met the man once, and that was because she came with her parent's Christmas party the year before. So when she took the seat in front of his desk, she felt a little more than uncomfortable. Her fingers tangled with the end of her brown, French braid. This is her parent's boss, after all.

He smiled awkwardly. "First I want to start by saying; nice to see you again. Unfortunately, I wish the circumstances were different." Her pulse sped. " , right now I am not talking to you as your parent's boss; I am speaking to you as Chief of the PID; a department that branches off of this homicide department."

Mr. Crawford types on his computer, eyes squinting as he searches for something on his hard drive. When he finds it he turns the screen so that Tamaka can see it; a picture of a young adult, or so it appears, with dark hair and a haunting smirk. He's a handsome, bad-boy type; a guy that a father would certainly not approve of. Tamaka frowns. " , have you seen this man before?" slowly she shakes her head, "has anyone online contacted you, mailed letters-anything really, even a random hello message that you never responded to."

"No. No one has done anything like that."

Mr. Crawford shares a very small smile. "Good, good…. Well, I'm happy I got to you before he did." Tamaka shifted in the chair upon hearing the softly spoke warning. "This man most commonly goes by the name Izaya Orihara; and I cannot stress enough just how dangerous this man is." bumps rose on her flesh. "He has a lot of power in this city; somehow he seems to be weaved into every shady deal-politics, gangs, you name it. So far we have had no court evidence that would hold through a trial; and on the odd times that we do, the evidence disappears… Orihara has been linked to many young female murders; he doesn't physically commit them, but we believe that he is the being that drives them to commit suicide."

Tamaka's face pales, and for a moment her throat grew too dry for her to speak.

"And…. And what does this have to do with me?"

Mr. Crawford frowned.

"It seems that you're his next target."

_He could be watching you at any time; be anyone, use anyone. Trust no one._

Paranoid was something that [Name] had grown accustomed to, ever since her talk with Mr. Crawford earlier during the week. The best part about it is that the 'Izaya' guy hadn't done anything to approach her. All of the energy that had gone towards her nightly house checks, looking over her shoulder, and avoiding her online accounts had been wasted.

Maybe Mr. Crawford was mistaken? Maybe she isn't the new target; just a look-alike.

"Look out!"

A cry and a honk shook [Name] out of her thoughts, just in time for her to see a pair of headlights screeching towards her as she illegally crossed the road. All [Name] felt was her body being yanked out of the way as the car sped over the spot she had previously been standing at, nearly squishing her.

For a moment, all she could do was stare at the road.

"That was a bit reckless, don't you think?"

When she turned her heart stopped for the second time in the last ten seconds; a pale face was a mere foot away from hers-his _arms _were around her. He was… He had…Saved her?

Tamaka cautiously pulled out of his arms, taking a step back as she faked a smile.

"S-Sorry, uh, thank you!" Izaya kept his smirk strong, his eyes sweeping over every detail on her body; she could _feel _him mentally taking notes-or something like that. He casually put one hand on his hip and the other to gesture in the air with carelessness.

"Did you want me to take you to the hospital? You seem a bit pale; like you've seen a ghost~"

_Play it cool, _she tried her best to relax her shoulders. "Well, I _did _almost get hit by a car." _You're in a public area; he can't hurt you right now. _

Izaya took graceful steps towards her and didn't stop until the tips of his shoes nearly pressed against her own. His hand dug into his pocket. "Yes, it's a good thing I found you when I did; otherwise we would have never met." Tamaka's mask slipped; her throat sealed shut as her eyes grew wide. She could numbly feel his fingers touching hers, forcing something smooth into her hand, but she couldn't bring herself to break their gaze. "I'm sure that Mr. Crawford has told you about me; I'm Izaya Orihara."

[Name] slowly nodded her head, "I know," his smirk widened. Very suddenly, Izaya started to backpedal.

"I trust you won't be late, then." And then he was gone, leaving nothing but his warning to hang in the air. Tamaka couldn't bring herself to move; she was frozen in that spot for a couple minutes after he left, just to catch her breath.

When her senses found her Tamaka slowly looked down at her hand, fingers caressing the folded piece of paper that he can given her. It felt rough against her skin, poison to her flesh. She wanted to throw it away, but realized just how terrified she would be afterwards; what would she do if it was important? It could be warning about something, or maybe she had to do something for him in order to save her life. The possibilities are endless. So with no other choice she carefully unfolds the paper, and holds her breath.

≾_Kami Kami Café, tomorrow at 12:00PM _≿


	3. Chapter 3

**3****.**

When Tamaka got to the café she was greeted with a polite hostess that appeared a year younger than her; defiantly still a High School student, like herself. The girl's eyes lit up. "Oh, it's you!" Tamaka's brows rose; does she go to her school? "Your date is already here; just follow me please."

And the nerves built up again, growing immensely in the pit of Tamaka's stomach as she followed the short hostess to the back of the café. Originally Tamaka felt a bit of relief because their meeting was set up in a public place during a very busy hour; however that bit of hope dampened as she noticed the Japanese-styled paper walls that separated the small tables, giving each table some privacy. The hostess stopped at a table in the corner of a café, which happened to be more private than the other tables. And in one of the chairs, facing the rest of the restaurant was Orihara.

His smirk widened as his eyes met Tamaka's.

"You came!" He falsely chimed, because there wasn't a chance that Tamaka would have missed their meeting. She knew he would find her, like he had so easily before.

"I didn't think I had a choice," she softly commented, while sitting across from him. Orihara rested his chin on his hand, completely relaxed.

"Of course you had a choice; it's just that one of them would have had a consequence." And just like that, all the hairs on her body stood. Instead of replying Tamaka looked down at the second cup on the table, which Orihara gestured to.

"I ordered you your favorite; pink lemonade." It shouldn't have, but the small action completely caught her off guard. She just stared at the glass cup in front of her, eyes blank. Her heart went racing as did her mind, inwardly panicking; what else does he know about her?! Where could he have possibly learnt that fact?

Emotionless, she picked up the drink and took a sip, forcing her eyes to meet Orihara's. She couldn't let him know how terrified she felt; he can't know that.

Orihara's smirk broadened as he watched her.

"What do you want?" She asked as she set the cup down. Orihara started to stir the straw that sat in his dark red smoothie.

"Not everything I do has a reason," before Tamaka could interrupt him, he added "however this time it does." Orihara pulls a rectangular photo from a pocket that was hidden on the inner lining of his coat. He placed the photo in the middle of the table, face up. Tamaka's jaw tensed as she picked up the shaded photo that had been taken earlier that week; in it she was sitting in front of Mr. Crawford's desk, her eyes glued on his computer screen-which was angled out of the camera's view. However, Tamaka knew exactly what was being shown on the screen-It was taken a week before, when Mr. Crawford originally called her in. He had been watching her then and probably the last few days before then, too. How long has this been going on for?

She could feel him watching her intently, waiting for a good reaction. She took in a deep breath, tempting to calm her pulse rate-like hell she'd give him what he wanted. "I want you to pass a message along to Mr. Crawford for me," she lifted her eyes, "tell him to drop this wild goose chase, or else things will get messy."

Tamaka's eyes narrowed as she watched Orihara put down a couple dollars on the table, and stand. She inched forward.

"Wait, that's it?" His eyes flicked to hers, "that's all you needed me for?"

She sounded too hopeful, she quickly realized, because Orihara looked all too amused as he paused on his way out.

"For now~"

And then he left her, leaving the photo on the table, which she assumed she was supposed to give to Mr. Crawford. She'd do that right away; she didn't want to hold onto the folder for any longer than she must.

Tamaka glanced around the police department, her eyes scanning the cubicles that were spread across the room. She didn't recognize a single face, since that floor wasn't her parent's department. And she looked more than out of place in the room of badges.

"Tamaka?" she looked up to see the older secretary, "Mr. Crawford is ready to see you now." She stood up while thanking the woman; people watched as she eagerly made her way towards the private office, her bag feeling heavy on her shoulder. She just wanted to get rid of the photo; to dump it into Mr. Crawford's hands, and sit back as he deals with the problem.

"Tamaka? How are you doing?" He greeted her politely, but the suspicion was clear in his eyes. It was obvious that she didn't come to just say hello.

"He found me," she blurted out, and her cheeks heated from the action. Mr. Crawford's features hardened as he froze, "Yesterday; he found me yesterday and told me to meet him today at noon." Mr. Crawford sat back in his chair as he watched Tamaka fumbled with her bag. When she gripped hold of the photograph she hastily placed it on Mr. Crawford's desk, and watched as he examined it carefully.

"Son of a bitch," he hissed under his breath, and almost immediately he moved towards the window on his back wall, which over looked the city-where the photographer had previously been. He shut the blinds. "What did he tell you?" Despite his shaken actions he sounded quite calm, although he was most likely used to these kinds of situations. Tamaka held onto the leather strap of her bag, nervously.

"He wanted me to warn you," Tamaka spoke softly as she watched Mr. Crawford's face; he had mustered up a thick wall, smoothing out the panicked expression he first showed. "You have to drop your case, or he'll do something."

He ran a hand through his thinning hair as he seated himself back into his cushioned chair. "I see," his thick fingers drummed against the wooden desk, "I wonder what he's after…"

Tamaka's brows creased. "Isn't... I thought he was after me?" Mr. Crawford diverted his eyes from Tamaka to his computer screen. He started to type, bringing up files from a locked area.

"Yes… But, you see, I don't remember Orihara ever actually confronting his victims until he's bored with them," Mr. Crawford eyed Tamaka, "are you positive that he hasn't reached you in any other way?" When she shook her head, he sighed.

"I'll have to make a report of this then. Is this everything you had to tell me? Did you discuss anything else?"

"No,"

He nodded his head, as if taking another mental note. "Alright, thank you for coming back to me on this… Tamaka," she looked down at him, "I have one more thing to ask you before you go," he sounded uncomfortable, "because you're eighteen, you have the decision of whether you want to inform your parent's on this current situation. Legally, I can't tell them anything if you don't want me to."

Tamaka was quickly to reply, "No. I don't want them to know about this; at least not until it's a bigger issue." Mr. Crawford nodded his head.

"If you change your mind, please tell me."

Tamaka paused to nod her head, before leaving the small office. Hopefully her parent's will never have to find out.


	4. Chapter 4

**4. **

"You're here early," Kiko stated as she stepped down the stairs that led from her bedroom to the living room, where Tamaka was seated. Tamaka smiled towards her friend, showing a mouth full of muffin,

"Nuh reully," is what her words came out as. Kiko made a face as she grabbed a freshly made muffin from the counter-top. She plopped down while glancing at the time on her cell-phone. Her brows perked up,

"Oh! I just got ready faster today~" Kiko turned up the volume on her television, "what's going on with the news today?"

Tamaka picked at her muffin, eating slower as she watched the news highlight the pictures of a crime scene once again; Japan's newest story. And unsurprisingly, it was gang-related.

"They found that missing Namaki girl; her body was in Grand View Park." Tamaka flashed a saddened smile, "I guess that's why my parent's had to rush out this morning."

Kiko stood from the couch to grab her lunch, which was on the counter. Her mother must have made it earlier in the morning, right before she left for her early morning shift at her bakery. Tamaka reached for another muffin before she headed to the front door of Kiko's home.

"Tell your mum that her new raspberry muffins are delicious!"

Kiko grinned, "Why don't you tell her yourself? She's making her famous casserole for dinner; you should come over after school," Slowly, Tamaka nodded.

"Yeah, I think I can; I'll just have to ask my parents."

A beep from Kiko's phone pauses both girls; her phone was immediately out of her pocket, and a smile slightly pulling at the corners of her lips. [Name] watched a plush hue tint her cheeks as Kiko read the message, and slowly typed one of her own. "Is that Chrome?" She questioned once Kiko shoved her phone into the pocket of her school blazer.

"Yep! Things are getting really serious between us," Tamaka snorted, earning a glare from her friend,

"Sorry, but how can you be getting serious with someone you haven't met yet?"

Kiko popped a hip out, stopping in her doorway, "Well, he just asked me out on a date, for your information. So in my books things are getting serious!" Tamaka raised both hands in defense, the smirk she once wore fading into a slight frown.

"Are you actually? When?"

Kiko gave a slight shrug of her shoulder, "I dunno yet, but he said sometime this week."

Tamaka had her objections about the entire situation, but also knew just how happy the boy was making Kiko, which is why she forced a smile and said, "Well I hope it works out."

And that was the last comment on the subject, because Tamaka left the apartment with

Kiko following on her heels, locking the door behind her before the girls started to make their way to school.

In Mathematics the air was humming with talk of the newly discovered body, which Tamaka had faintly listened to; every time a death or injury is on the news Tamaka's mind immediately heads towards Izaya Orihara. He knows everything and apparently sees everything, so it's not a stretch to imagine him behind those crimes.

Tamaka glanced at the open window across the room, focusing on the small breeze it brought into the classroom. It had been three days since her meeting with Orihara, and he hadn't contacted her since. Neither had Mr. Crawford, which slightly worried her; maybe he dropped the case against Orihara? Maybe he really didn't have anything to do with the suicides of those girls….

_-BeepBeep-BeepBeep- _

Tamaka jumped as her phone sounded off, capturing some of her classmate's attention. She ducked down, hiding behind the boy who sat in front of her to stay out of the teacher's view as she answered the call.

"Hi mum," she spoke softly, very aware of the curious people around her that tempted to subtly lean closer.

"Hello dear, am I interrupting a class right now?"

"Nope; we're just working on practice questions." She should hear a buzzing machine in the background of her mum's voice; a machine she recognized from her lab. "Oh, you're at the lab right now?"

Her mother sighed, "yeah I just got back from the crime scene; there wasn't much for me to do at the scene so I just took some samples and headed back to the office." Her mother paused, and Tamaka could hear the concern in her voice as she asked, "do you have somewhere you could stay after school? I'm working late and your father won't be there until at least seven O'Clock."

"Yeah, I actually wanted to ask you about that; Kiko invited me over for dinner!"

"She did? Okay that'd be perfect… Sorry hun, I just don't feel comfortable with you being home alone. That girl-Namaki-she was so young; and who knows, maybe this isn't a one-time thing."

Tamaka didn't hold back her eye roll; her mum always worries like that. Being home would most likely be safer than anything else, but she wasn't going to bring that up, not when Stev had brought his chair beside her desk, eagerly trying to listen in.

"Mum? I have to go, I'll see you tonight, okay?" Without listening for a response Tamaka hung up the phone and immediately punched Stev in the arm, her eyes narrowed.

"That was a _private _conversation,"

Snickers emitted from the neighboring people as they watched Stev raise both hands, an apologetic grin plastered on. "Sorry, it's just-your parents are working the Namaki case, right? did your mum say anything about the crime scene?"

Tamaka glanced around at the prying ears, and it became very obvious that everyone in earshot was listening. Apparently no one was able to wait until tomorrow morning, when the reporters would retell the story. She half-smiled, "nope. nothing that the news didn't already tell us."

Another girl, who sat directly behind Tamaka, asked, "Do they know if it was the yellows that did it?"

Tamaka shrugged, "they have no idea who did it."

"Do you think it could be a random murderer?"

"What? No! If it was then they wouldn't have kidnapped her first, and then waited a week before dumping her body. Plus, it was in a public place, so it must have been gang-related, like a statement or something."

"Do you think it's a serial killer?"

"Don't be stupid; there's only one death so far, why would you assume that?!"

"There might be a chance, actually," This caught Tamaka's attention. It was a smaller girl that was talking, Makirio was her name; her cheeks flushed from the new-found attention. "My cousin's friend went missing two days ago; she never came back from work. She's around the same age as that Namaki girl too," again, Tamaka's mind went to Orihara. She wondered; would he know anything about this?

The bell sent a jolt through Tamaka's body, breaking her current thoughts, and instead bringing her to focus on the exam she had next block.

"Dad?" Tamaka called into the dark apartment suite; there was no reply. It made sense though, seeing as she was home earlier than her mother had told her to be. There was a small chill in the air, one that sent goose bumps to Tamaka's flesh.

The girl kicked off her shoes before advancing further into her house, heading straight to her closed bedroom. She froze the moment she turned on the lights.

The cracked open window sent the sheer curtains dancing forward, and ruffling some loose papers on Tamaka's desk. But that wasn't what had Tamaka hesitating in the doorway; her eyes were fastened to the beige folder that was place on top of her bed; it matched the ones that her father sometimes brought home. A case file.

Her pupils scanned her room for anything else that seemed out of place, but found nothing. They only left the file. Tamaka closed her bedroom door behind herself before carefully sitting on her bed; the entire time she never tore her eyes off of the folder. The folder had no case name on the tab, and it was much lighter than any other one that she had held. Her heart pounded heavily as she took in a deep breath and flipped open the cover. Her body relaxed as she read the name

'Izaya Orihara'. A photo of him walking down a street was attached to a biography, which held little to no information on him.

_Age: _23

_Height: _5'9

_Occupation: _Information broker

_Personality: _manipulative, enjoys the thrill of danger (as seen by his duels with Heiwajima Shizuo) and power, prefers to be an observer: works within the shadows and is never caught within a personal situation, above average intelligence, charismatic and confident, seems to have few personal relations.

_Appearance: _dark hair and often seen in dark, neat clothing

Tamaka then shifted her gaze to the list of victims, the ones who had a legitimate connected to a mysterious person, whom was recorded to be Orihara. On a list were four names; four women that had jumped from buildings in Ikebukuro. Scribbled on the bottom of the nearly-blank page was the message 'more information later'.

The third and final page in the folder was a list of questions:

-What are the connections to his victims?

-What drives his actions?

-More personality traits

-Weaknesses?

-Is there anything that Orihara is connected to?

And at the very bottom of the list were the words, scribbled in blue ink,

_Find the answers._


	5. Chapter 5

**5.**

Despite the breaking and entering, Tamaka was thankful that Mr. Crawford had been courteous enough to deliver the package on a Friday, so that Tamaka wasn't distracted during her classes the next day. However, she felt that small gracious emotion start to fade as he ignored her calls; the least he could do was give her some answers of his own, starting with 'since when did you assign me to this case?'

She threw her brunette hair up in a ponytail while letting out a dragged sigh; she never asked to be apart of Mr. Crawford's mission of taking down Orihara. Yes, she's always been interested in police investigations, but this one is one that she could do without.

"You're Tamaka right?"

She brought her eyes up from her Russian sushi to face a blonde haired boy and his brunette friend; she quickly recognized them as students from Raira Academy. They were freshmen. Kida and… Kida's friend.

She nodded her head, "Whys a beautiful girl sighing like that?! Someone as gorgeous as you should be singing from the treetops; you should be smiling and-"

"Ah! I'm sorry, w-we just noticed that you looked upset," the brunette quickly cut off Kida, most likely noticing the uncomfortable smile that Tamaka had plastered on. Kida was certainly brave for a freshman. "Are you alright?"

Pink dusted her cheeks as she awkwardly interlinked her fingers, "Ah, yes! Sorry if I bothered you," the brunette's eyes widened, and he quickly raised both hands in defense,

"Oh! No Not at all!"

Suddenly Kida pulled the brunette tightly to his side, his arm around his friend's neck; he was grinning as he said, "Mikado here is a real sweetheart; he always notices a pretty girl whose in need of some cheering up, right Mikado?" Tamaka couldn't help but smile as she watched a blush spread across Mikado's cheeks.

"Masaomi-kun…"

"Thanks for your concern, but I really am fine; I'm just trying to get a hold of someone but they're not picking up. It's a little frustrating, but nothing to worry about!"

"Oh, okay."

Tamaka set down a bill on the countertop before pushing away from the table, making sure to grab her cell phone off of the table. The boys watched her as she tucked the chair in and gave a small wave to the chef.

Tamaka carefully eyed the boys who stood beside her, acting as if their conversation hadn't ended. However, [Name] had somewhere she had to be, so she gave a small wave of her hand and said "well it was nice talking to you guys, I guess I'll see you at school sometime?"

Kida grinned, "Is this you inviting us to hang out with you at lunch? Well, we accept of course~"

Tamaka couldn't help but laugh; "yeah. Sure. See you at lunch then!" And when the three left the small sushi restaurant they both headed in a different direction, giving a small wave to the other as they continued on their way to the day's tasks.

Shizuo Heiwajima; Tamaka had most defiantly heard his name before. The strongest man of Ikebukuro, the man you never want to cross; of course she had heard of him. Though, Tamaka had yet to come close to him. She had no idea that Orihara knew him, let alone fight him on many occasions.

Tamaka kept trekking forward down the street, eyes scanning the roads for something; she just didn't know what yet. Mr. Crawford, Shizuo? Maybe even Izaya. All she knew is that she should only go to Mr. Crawford's office if she has to urgently meet him; it would be a lot easier to keep everything from her parents that way. What excuse could she possibly make for seeing him?

Tamaka's pace slowed as her mind quickly trained on the crowd of people who circled around the mouth of an alley, just down the street from herself. People were murmuring, covering their mouths as they saw the main attraction, whatever that might be. It wasn't until Tamaka walked a bit closer that she noticed the police cars and an ambulance. By the time she neared the site, the ambulance was wheeling a stretcher into the back of the truck, which carried a black body bag. Immediately her mind darted to gangs. When Tamaka saw a gap in the crowd she took her chance to dive in, slightly shoving past others to get to the scene of the crime. When she finally reached the yellow tape her face contorted in surprise; there wasn't much of a crime scene. She could dimly see a bit of blood on the cement flooring, most likely from where the body was lying, and a purse sprawled over the sidewalk. Little numbered cards were still placed in many areas, so there had to have been a bigger crime scene than Tamaka had assumed, but still; she was expecting a gorey alley.

There were at least five policemen covering the area; two were holding off the crowd, while some were bagging evidence, and another was taking notes and talking to a pedestrian.

"Tamaka?"

She pivoted to her right, brows raised as she scanned the people who stood near her. It didn't take long for her to find a familiar face, "Dad?" The man reached through the crowd to grab her wrist, which he used as a way to pull her towards him and away from the crowd. He was wearing his official investigative police badge around his neck, and on his hands were a pair of white rubber gloves. His brows were creased with concern as he gave his daughter an once-over.

"What are you doing here?" Tamaka shrugged her shoulders,

"I was just walking by when I saw the crowd. Dad, what happened? I saw the paramedics taking a body away." Tamaka noticed the way that her father darted his eyes across the crowd while pulling her further away from them all; he was nervous about something. Her father set a firm hand on her shoulder,

"I think that this death might be connected to the other one," he murmured, "Nothing is certain but…. Well, let's just say I have a couple good reasons for my assumption." Tamaka could feel her stomach tighten. Could her classmates be right; is there a serial killer in Ikebukuro?

When her father placed both hands on her shoulders Tamaka felt her heart speed; she could feel his nerves even if he tried to mask it with a smile. "Look darling, for the next while I want you to be inside when evening hits, okay? Regardless if this is what I think it is or not, gang activity is rising and it's still growing unsafe."

Tamaka could feel her complaints rising in the back of her throat_; 'I can take care of myself. Wasn't that the point of all my years of combat fighting?'_ but because of the warning look that her father tried to subtly show, she kept her lips sealed shut.

"Sure dad"

"_Actually, go home now," _she mimicked bitterly, _"pick up dinner Tamaka, go home Tamaka-_stupid dad. I'm eighteen years old; if I want to go out then I can!"

Regardless, Tamaka had a box of take out dangling from her fingers as he walked down the calm street that would lead up to her apartment building. Unfortunately, just a glance around the streets proved that her father had been correct; there were yellow scarves everywhere. The streets really were growing dangerous-

-"_watch out!" _

Tamaka glanced behind herself, only to see a lamp post being hurled in her direction; her flesh paled.

"Wah!" She threw herself to the right, narrowly dodging the lamppost.

"Way to go Shizu-chan; you almost hurt Tama-kun~" The voice sent a shiver down Tamaka's spine; she had really hoped that she'd never hear from him again. Or see him again. Or even _hear_ his name, ever again. But of course, Tamaka just wasn't that fortunate.

Orihara stood with his back to her, a taunting meter away from her sprawled out body, which was still in shock from the previous attack. Orihara rested one hand on his hip while the other one carelessly waved as he said, "And here I was thinking that you were trying to improve your self-control; just look at the chaos you've created," Tamaka could hear another man growl, followed by the screeching of metal. She tensed.

"THIS IS YOUR FAULT, DAMN IT!"

Tamaka inched to the right, peeking around Orihara; just down the road stood a tall, blonde man wearing a bartender's suit. Shizuo Heiwajima, she assumed; only _he _could rip a lamppost from cement and hurl it twenty meters.

Orihara started to move just as another object was thrown across the street; Tamaka didn't notice until the object was in the process of descending towards her. She pushed off of the ground to leap in the direction that Orihara had run off to; she escaped by a mere second before the object impaled the cement.

Her chest heaved as she stood from her crouched position, forcing her body to straighten. Without her knowing Orihara slithered up to her side. "Nice reflexes," he chimed cheekily, "now lets see if you run as fast as you jump," before Tamaka could question him, Orihara had gripped hold of her wrist and was tolling her down the road, guiding her around corners and through alleys as he lead her to 'safety'.

Once Shizuo's shouts faded to silence, Orihara finally stopped his running; Tamaka immediately bent over her knees, panting as she tried to control her racing blood pressure; she couldn't remember the last time she ran for that long. Not only did they have to escape Shizuo, but they also had to out-run the objects he was throwing.

"He's really, _really_ strong," Tamaka gasped in disbelief, "I mean I heard he was strong-but _that?!" _ She was very aware of the Cheshire grin that Orihara was forming, but she hardly cared; her mind was still in reflex mode, ready to bolt at any given moment.

"He's a pest; but also so much fun to tease~ Shizu-chan never lets me down when I'm bored!" Tamaka straightened out her spine, brows dipped, "you're not saying that you actually _encourage _him, are you?" Orihara paused.

"Of course I do," and seeing Tamaka's mouth gap sent a wave of laughter through him. "But I'd much rather have you to amuse me, Tama-chan! I was actually hoping to run into you; how convenient that you found me instead." Tamaka stiffened a glare.

"Yeah; _how convenient,_" she hated the way his lips coiled into a sly grin; it sent chills to her core, making her disbelieve anything he said. "What do you want?"

Orihara circled her, eyes never leaving her face as he said, "I visited our friend Mr. Crawford; apparently you're not as threatening as I'd hoped. He's still trying to chase me down-but I'm sure you're aware of this, hmm?" Tamaka felt herself drop her annoyed expression, leaking a small amount of surprise, before quickly capping all emotions and forcing her expression to smooth out. She felt that she needed to put a facade up; if Orihara is anything like the person he is rumored to be, then she didn't want him to know anything; not even the meaningless facts. With a calm voice she said,

"I have nothing to do with yours and Mr. Crawford's affairs," She noticed the small quirk of his brow, but other than that he made no change in his expression. However, he did stop circling her so that he stood in front of her, his face a taunting few inches away from hers. She refused to bend away.

"No?"

This time Tamaka couldn't suppress her glare, "No." They stayed in that position for a couple moments, both sets of eyes refusing to back down-of course for two entirely different reasons. After awhile it was Orihara who retreated. He stuffed both of his hands into his pockets and twisted on the heel of one foot, seemingly anxious for something.

"Well, it seems that you're a more boring person than I originally thought," and to Tamaka's surprise, Orihara did actually seem disappointed; he started to take backward steps, his eyes still scanning Tamaka's figure, like he was searching for something. Maybe something less boring.

"Hm, find me when your life grows value to it, alright Tama-chan?"

And with that last stinging comment, Tamaka watched Orihara walk away.

**Author's Note: **Helllooo everyone! So as you've probably noticed, this story does not follow the anime or mangas plot line, and is my original creation. Of course, I cannot take credit for any of the Durarara characters, only my own OC's.

Anyways, I just want to thank those who have read this story so far! Please comment to give any advice on ways to improve. I have not prewritten all the chapters, so you can also tell me what you'd like to see, and I'll try to work that into the story (:

Thanks


	6. Chapter 6

**6.**

"What a jackass," Tamaka murmured to herself; her mind was still hovering on the last few words that Orihara had said to her, before leaving her to stand right outside of her apartment building, which she never noticed until he was nearly out of view.

"Who is?"

Tamaka looked up from her steaming take-out, which she had to re-buy because the original had been crushed, to face her parents. "Ah, some idiot that bumped into me; the-uh-one who made me re-buy the food." Tamaka grinned when her father made a playful face,

"Pft, _that guy? _Yeah; what a jackass." Of course her father had no idea who _that guy _was.

Her mother gently shook her head, only smiling slightly as she started to clean the table off, and allow her husband to pull out some beige folders. Tamaka watched her father crack open a file that contained many documents, most that she had seen before, from other cases. She quirked a brow as he started to scan one; "what case is that for?" she questioned innocently, out of pure curiosity. Her father never took his eyes off of the paper.

"The deaths of those two young females," her interest peaked higher, which her father was quick to notice. He slowly lifted his head to meet her eyes, a half-smile playing his lips, "you don't need to see these pictures, honey; they're more graphic than the other ones you've snuck out of my brief case." She cheekily scratched the back of her head, "And besides; my boss doesn't want many people knowing the details of this; you could consider these files top secret."

Tamaka rolled her eyes, "yeah, because I wasn't tempted _before _you said that," and her smile dropped as she watched her father's features grow stern.

"I'm serious, Tamaka."

A lock of brown hair fell out of its bun, which Tamaka awkwardly brushed behind her ear. "Okay; I won't touch it." He nodded gruffly, casting his eyes back to his paperwork. With silent steps, Tamaka headed towards her bedroom. Her eyebrows were drawn into a scowl as she watched her feet; how could this case be any more 'top secret' than the other ones her father has worked on? She's seen his other homicide cases; why would this one be any different? Maybe he believes that it'll affect her more because both victims were young females, like her. Tamaka failed to see the difference. A life is a life, and she could handle it no matter what.

Or perhaps it's because both victims were kidnapped before; that possibility never dawned to Tamaka. And her father has never dealt with hostage situations-it could be his way of trying to protect her; keep her mind protected, just in case the bad guy turns to her.

Tamaka glanced at the clock; 8:35pm. It wasn't late, yet she could feel her body yearning for sleep. "That damn Orihara; this is his fault," her body probably had all kinds of bruises; she felt certain that he was the cause of her exhaustion.

Well, she certainly deserves a goodnight's rest~

_Beeeeep-Beeeeep-Beeeeeep- _

"Uggh"

Tamaka's hand felt around her nightstand, fingers searching for the buzzing source. With her eyes still closed, she slid the screen up and pressed the device to her ear, "Hello?"

From the other end she could hear slight panting and footsteps, "T-Tamaka? It's me; Kiko." Tamaka started to open her eyes, "Um, where are you right now? I-I think I need help…" Those few words shook Tamaka awake; she pushed herself up into a sitting position, face folding into a frown.

"What? Kiko what's going on?" Kiko sniffed, as if holding back tears.

"I just passed that Russian sushi place; Tamaka I'm really scared-someone's following me." The covers were thrown as Tamaka leaped out of her bed, throwing on a pair of boots as she scattered across her bedroom in search of a white box.

"What?! Kiko, I'm coming; I-I just need… There!" With shaking fingers she flung the lid off of the white box, revealing three silver blades, which she tucked into a pocket on the inner lining of both boots.

"Please hurry; I have a bad feeling," Kiko's voice had noticeably dropped to a whisper, "I can't explain it-I just _know _that something is there. I-I can _feel _its eyes on me!"

Tamaka's parents must had been asleep when she ran through the living room and out their front door, only bothering to shut it before running through the rest of the apartment.

The bitter air reminded Tamaka that she had forgotten to grab a coat on her way out; but that thought dissolved when Kiko screeched through the phone, "_I just saw it!"_

As Tamaka ran, so did Kiko; she could hear the sobbing pants through the cell phone, "_I-It's coming!" _

Tamaka had no time for her own body to panic; she was too focused on Kiko to even realize the way that her eyes bulged, and how her heart pulsed in her skull. She could only focus on the path that led to the sushi bar and the fact that Kiko was no longer hiding her presence because whatever was threatening her life had already spotted her. "Keep running towards my house!" She shouted into her phone, capturing the attention of the occasional people that still lingered on the streets. "Kiko! Kiko where are you now?!"

Tamaka felt utter dread when there was no reply. "Kiko! Damn it, Kiko answer me!" Tamaka made a sharp turn, her eyes frantically searching the street as she started to get closer to the restaurant. Tamaka was running faster then she ever had before; she was so fast that she nearly didn't see the glowing device in the alley she sprinted by. Tamaka's arm snapped out to grab hold of stop sign, which she used to swing herself around, so she could backtrack to the alley.

Only a meter in was a face-open cell phone; the screen and buttons were lit; there was still a call in process. Tamaka's trembling thumb harshly pressed a button, which brought the screen to the name of the caller who was currently on the other end. Tamaka Orin.

Without thinking Tamaka shot herself deeper into the alley.

"KIKO!" She screamed upon reaching a fork in the road. It was as if the God's were listening; Tamaka spotted a familiar shoe, leading towards the path that strayed off of the original one. The moment Tamaka chose that path she could feel it; a shock of dread. The air was thick with it; a deadly presence-something that makes your skin crawl. The feeling only intensified when she came upon two slim figures cornered between a brick building and a dumpster. At first glance it appeared to be a couple fooling around in the shadows. But Tamaka could clearly make out the giant bow on the girl's head... the long red locks of hair... terrified whimpers… and a single shoe-less foot; "HEY!"

In a fluid motion Tamaka yanked one throwing knife out of her boot, twisted 'round on her toe for momentum, and threw the knife at the lumbering figure. Tamaka already had the next knife in her right hand by the time the first knife had lodged into metal dumpster. She missed. The air was silent for a moment; no traffic, no breathing, not even a cry from the clearly-injured Kiko.

Then Kiko's body slumped to the ground, her whimpering continuing as the other person took a hauntingly graceful step back. Its head cracked to the side, flashing yellow eyes towards Tamaka. She sucked in a breath.

The person suddenly sprinted towards the girl; even with the knife already in her hand, Tamaka barley had any time to throw it. Panicked, the knife didn't have the trajectory she wanted; it skimmed the person's shoulder instead of lodging into its chest. Its arms circled around her body.

Tamaka was tackled to the ground, her torso feeling crushed as the attacker landed on her. Even with a slightly dizzy head, Tamaka could feel fingers curling around both biceps, pinning both arms on either side of her head; a silver blade caught a glimpse of light. The fear that came from seeing the blade is what cleared Tamaka's fogged mind; borrowing strength from her adrenaline, Tamaka wedged a leg up and kicked the person in the stomach, sending it back quite a long ways.

Using that same momentum Tamaka did a backwards summersault into a sitting position, and forced herself to stand; during the motion she had somehow fastened the third knife in a tight grip, ready to attack.

Her pupils scanned the dim alley; the attacker wasn't in front of her. She hastily circled, glancing in every direction. Did it disappear?

The night was silent for a few more seconds before Tamaka's muscles relaxed as much as they possibly could in her given state. Her mind started to clear up, circling back to the utmost important thing at the moment; "K-Kiko!"

Tamaka's footing was off on her first step forward; she could feel her knees growing weak as she stood. Why was she so weak?

It was then that Tamaka felt the cool air hitting the back of her neck, highlighting the liquid that was slowly seeping down her back. Did she land in a puddle? She stumbled. "Damn it," her words slipped out as a murmur when her legs gave out from underneath her, the adrenaline no longer strong enough to keep her on her feet. Just as her torso made contact with something, Tamaka found herself slip into a cold darkness.


	7. Chapter 7

**7. **

The first thing her eyes fell upon was a shadowed white wall with a hanging painting of a vase full of colorful flowers. The flowers had such fine detail; it looked as if the flowers had been pressed and glued onto the paper-she'd seen that image before…

The second thing she noticed was the opened window to the right of her; through the window she could see common buildings, ones that she had most likely walked by before.

The third, and most unpleasant, was a sly smile adorned with intelligent dark eyes and shaggy black hair.

"Good morning," Tamaka knew exactly where she was, though her mind blanked on how she ended up there, "how are you feeling?"

She could feel a slight headache, but that was pushed to the back of her mind as she narrowed her eyes on Orihara. "Why the hell are you here?" Most people would have been offended by her cutting tone but Orihara seemed to get a sickening amusement from her frustration.

He placed a hand over his heart; acting as if he were offended, "Is that any way to treat the man who _saved _you?" Tamaka couldn't control the emotions that were leaking onto her face; her mind paused in shock, memory repeating as she tried to disprove his claim. But she couldn't. All she remembered was being lost in the alley, trying to get to Kiko… But… "_And_ your friend, though to be honest, her death wouldn't have effected me in any way," and despite the fantastic news, that Kiko must had been fine; Tamaka mustered the darkest glare she possibly could. It was because of her menacing glare that Orihara seemed to pause, his calculating eyes scanning her for a moment. The corner of his lips subtly twitched, "Ah did that upset you? I saved her nonetheless; and I was only being honest. Isn't that something you value_-honesty_?"

Tamaka took in a deep breath. Exhale.

"How exactly did you save us?" Tamaka felt the bed shift with Orihara's weight, her legs sinking towards his body. She noticed then that he had discarded his jacket on a spare chair, exposing a black, long-sleeve shirt; how long has she been out for?

"Lucky for you I was in the neighborhood; actually, you ran right past me without evening noticing!" Her brows dipped, "and because I'm such a gentleman, I followed you to make sure everything was okay~ I didn't find you until I heard you scream, which is when I saw you and your friend in the alley, bleeding." It wasn't until then that Tamaka took notice of the white bandage around her skull; almost instantly she shot out of the bed, bringing herself to the full-body mirror that hung on the wall beside her.

Her mouth folded down at seeing her pale complexion in the mirror; her hair hung in deflated curls, messy from laying down for too long, while someone had changed her into a typical hospital outfit; light green pants and collared shirt. The bandage on her head wrapped all the way around, though the padding was gathered at the back of her skull; she could then remember feeling a hot liquid dripping down her neck and back. It wasn't water that she had felt.

The next thing she noticed were the bruises that took the shape of a hand on each of her biceps-funny, she couldn't remember the person's grip being that tight. The prints gave her chills; they reminded her of a bloody handprint that you see in most horror movies; it felt like the print of a ghost, because the night couldn't possibly be real.

Tamaka's eyes shifted to Orihara as he took a stance beside her, smirking eyes meeting hers through the reflection. "You have blood on your shirt," she suddenly blurted, her eyes fastened on the crisp, black material in the middle of his chest. It didn't take a genius to connect the dots; it seemed very obvious that it was _her _blood. He must had been the one who caught her, right before she passed out.

Tamaka suddenly felt very cold. "Orihara," her voice had become quite soft, "If you didn't care that we died, why did you save us?" By the time Tamaka finished her question, Orihara had already started to get his jacket on.

He smiled. "I said I didn't care if your friend died; you on the other hand, I would have been a bit disappointed about." Tamaka turned around too quickly; her fingers found the bed for support as she regained her vision, blinking away black dots.

"I thought that you found me boring?" In complete silence Orihara stepped towards Tamaka, pausing only once his toes nearly brushed her bare ones. With a surprisingly gentle touch, his index finger traced the black and blue handprint on her bicep; there was a suppressed fascination within the pits of his eyes; Tamaka could see a spark ignite in the back of his mind. Orihara looked so _alive_.

"You're the complete opposite, Tama-chan! You seem to be the center-piece in the game right now; somehow, everything is revolving around you. With you here, I doubt I'll ever be bored again!" Orihara dipped his head very low, causing Tamaka to freeze; his nose was only a few inches from her own. "I was wrong, which isn't something that I usually am which makes you even more interesting. That is why I couldn't let you die, Tamaka; you still have so much value."

And given Tamaka's lack of response, Orihara chose that moment to make his leave. And it wasn't until his body nearly left her doorframe that Tamaka gently said, "Orihara?" He glanced over his shoulder, lips still adoring that gleaming smile- Tamaka's expression seemed to be the complete opposite. "Thank you… For saving us."

By the time Tamaka's parents came into the room, she had already crawled back into her bed, her cell phone in her hands as she stared at the call history. Her cheeks flushed when her mother pulled her into a sudden embrace, her moist face burying into the crook of Tamaka's neck.

"I thought we lost you! T-Tamaka when we got the call from the police I-we-what happened to you?!"

All Tamaka could do was peer over her mother's shoulder towards her father, who was wearing a half-smile, and shrugging his shoulders. "She's been like this the last three hours; ever since Yamito called us, actually." Despite his joking tone, Tamaka could see the stress that vibrated through his body; bags under his eyes, crease lines between his brows, the way his smile hardly met his eyes.

Despite that her actions, in her eyes, were heroic Tamaka felt a small pang of guilt. If she had been stronger, maybe her parent's never would have gotten that call.

"I'm fine; I can't feel anything with the pain killers anyways." When her mother pulled away, Tamaka could feel her lingering eyes on the marks on her arms; she could see the furious spark behind her father's eyes. "I'm sorry," the words forced both sets of eyes to meet her face, rather than the injuries, "for making you guys worry."

"Don't apologize for being a good friend," her father was the first to say, beating her mother. "Your uh, 'friend' told us. He said he saw you trying to get to Kiko when he arrived on the site-which still hardly covers any of the story, I might add." Tamaka's eyes slowly drifted to the tender hand that rested on her covered leg, her eyes examining her mother's newly-manicured nails.

"We're so proud of you," her mother's words almost brought a smile to Tamaka's face-_almost _because Tamaka's mind was more focused on her friend. She had so bravely 'saved' her, yet Tamaka found herself to be too nervous to go and find her hospital room. She didn't want to see the damage that had already been caused; the damaged that could have been prevented if Tamaka were faster.

But.. What was Kiko doing out that late?

"How is she," Tamaka glanced towards her father, "Kiko..." Though they tried to be subtle, Tamaka noticed the slight way their smiled hardened, and a quiet exchange of glances. Her chest squeezed tight.

"She's…. Alright," Tamaka clenched the phone tighter, "she's going to be alright; she just lost a lot of blood, so she's still recovering." Tamaka must have made a face because her father had scooted a chair up to her bedside, expression smooth as he tried to comfort his daughter.

"Just get some rest, alright? Then when you wake up again we'll talk about everything, okay? Front to back of the story."

Just hearing the word 'rest' made Tamaka's eyelids grow weak with need for sleep; her body slowly relaxed as she sunk deeper into the mattress. She hadn't noticed until that moment just how tired her body was; how much energy she must have used.

Tamaka didn't want to do anything in that moment except forget about the recent events; she could worry about it when she wakes up. Surprisingly, that was an easy task to complete.

By the third time Tamaka re-explained the past night's events, she had it engraved into her skull; it was a memory that she would never forget. Her father had been the first she had spoken to, two other policemen after that. One even took the liberty of recording the conversation, because Tamaka was to be hospitalized for longer than expected so they couldn't take her into a private room.

So about four hours after she had originally woken up, [Name] was more than a little aggravated. "Tamaka?"

"_What?" _her voice was sharper then she intended, but the nurse seemed unfazed by it, so Tamaka held in her half-assed apology. The nurse stayed in the doorway; hand on the door as she held it open.

"I just wanted to inform you that your friend just woke up," Tamaka felt her throat dry up, "she's also asking for you. If you want, I can walk you to her room right now." [Name] must have made a face because the nurse's smile dropped alarmingly, "Or you can see her later-"

"No," stiffly, Tamaka started to push out of the bed, "I'll go now." The nurse patiently waited at the door, watching Tamaka as she slipped on a pair of black ballet flats and head towards the hall, face solemn.

Tamaka realized, as she walked behind the nurse, that she was nervous. Maybe even scared. She didn't want to see Kiko in a battered condition; her Kiko has always been such a strong girl, and seeing her like that would pollute those memories of her. No, her memories were already polluted; they were ruined the moment she saw Kiko pressed against a brick wall, blood draining from her body. After re-assessing her memories, Tamaka had concluded that very fact-the monster had been _drinking _Kiko's blood. Its face was buried in her shoulder, hands possessively holding her against the wall-

-the nurse stopped in front of a door, which was guarded by two young policemen. One female and one male-they both looked at Tamaka with an expression of what could be recognition. Tamaka uncomfortably eyed the two, but abandoned all questions as the female officer opened the hospital door. They both smiled sympathetically, but otherwise remained silent.

"Tamaka?"

The voice certainly sounded like Kiko's, which startled Tamaka; but what was she expecting, a hoarse crackle? When Tamaka walked through the doorway she paused, eyes suspiciously assessing. Kiko was sitting upright, wearing a gown that matched Tamaka's. Her hair was greased back into a ponytail, and no makeup was applied-but she otherwise looked like her normal self. It was unnerving.

Kiko grinned. "You look even worse than I do," it was spoken like a joke, though Tamaka knew how true it was; Kiko hardly looked like a girl who was recently attacked. There was a cotton patch peaking from under the collar of her gown, and another one on her left bicep, but she was otherwise in prime condition.

"No kidding, how'd that happen?" Tamaka slowly came to Kiko's bedside, accepting the space Kiko offered as she moved to the far side of the mattress. Kiko's light eyes met hers.

"I was actually hoping that you would tell me that," her jaw clenched, "I don't remember a thing." Tamaka stared at Kiko's toes, which peaked from under the blanket.

"Nothing?" Her voice sounded surreal, a blob with the rest of the bland room and covered windows. Her entire morning felt like a blur, but sitting next to Kiko made everything more dream-like. They were sitting together, in a hospital bed, littered with cuts and bruises. That could defiantly make a girl think-what was I doing at that exact same time the day before?

"Well, I guess not '_nothing'; _I remember why I left the house… I was supposed to meet Chrome last night, but… He, uh, didn't show." That was the first time Kiko showed any weakness; the crack in her voice was subtle, but Tamaka was able to catch it nonetheless. Kiko's expression looked slightly pained as she continued to hold her smile, trying her very best to keep her lips from quivering. "I kind of remember waiting…. I was sitting on a bench when I... I think that's when I was attacked."

Kiko had always been a strong girl; being raised in a place like Ikebukuro requires some sort of strength. However Kiko was forced to muster such strength at an earlier age. When her father died at the prime age of thirty-two she was left alone with her mother, who became a complete mess. She was forced to grow up faster that the normal child; she was given the burden of being her mother's crutch, whether the broken-hearted woman realized it or not. It was like that until Kiko reached the age of fifteen; her mother woke up on April 9th. Years caught up to her and she suddenly snapped into her senses, once again putting her heart and soul into her family and business. Unfortunately, Kiko was changed for forever at that point. The innocent child was lost, as was the fragile being she once was. Kiko became foreign to any deep connections, living at an arms length away from everyone. If someone was rude, she would ignore them. If someone tempted to hurt her, she would laugh because she never completely trusted them, so how could they possibly hurt her? It had been years since Kiko had taken something to heart; the only person Kiko ever truly let in was Tamaka; her friend was slowly healing her, allowing Kiko to break down her tall walls and allow herself to grasp onto someone.

So seeing Tamaka's battered body felt like a stab to her gut; Tamaka had been attacked with her-no, _because _of her, so why should she feel any pain? Why should she feel bad for getting stood up? Why should she feel anything at all, when her friend could _remember _the night's terrifying events… When….

"_Kiko," _Kiko's hand was squeezed tightly, causing both eyes to widen-when had Tamaka linked hands with her? It was then that Kiko could feel the salty beads roll down her cheeks, streak down to her chin and then heavily drop onto her lap. Kiko had no right to feel that enormous pressure in her chest, but she couldn't stop it. Even in the safety of her hospital room she felt terrified; and she couldn't remember being attacked. How the hell could Tamaka remain so calm? Kiko's eyes suddenly clouded over, _'she doesn't know.' _

"I talked to the police," Tamaka focused on Kiko as the crying girl spoke, "they said my cuts match the other girls-t-the dead ones," and Tamaka had started to feel the same pressure in her chest, reminding her of the past night's events. "They believe it's a serial killer; the guy that attacked us last night. The same one that killed those girls. He attacked _us_."

Tamaka hardly flinched when Kiko's nails dug into her hand. Instead she watched Kiko carefully, almost vacantly. There was still a slight film across Tamaka's; nothing felt real. She took this as a good thing, because if she had been hit by that news with her entire mind on alert, she would have been in the same state as Kiko. She wouldn't have been able to bring her friend into her chest and hug her, calmly breath in the faint aroma of perfume flowers, and murmur "but we survived."


	8. Chapter 8

**8. **

"Are you sure we should be here? I-I mean, we don't really know her that well…" Mikado nervously adjusted his bag strap, palms growing clammy as Kida led them closer to the listed room. Kida grinned, "Of course we should be here; Tamaka-chan is a friend after all! Besides, she probably needs our company after everything that's happened to her~"

What Kida said made sense, but Mikado still had his doubts… After all, he's only spoken to the girl once. However, he still wanted to make sure she was okay… He felt a genuine concern.

"Tamaka-chan!" Kida's voice echoed throughout the hallway and into patient rooms, causing Mikado's flushed cheeks to darken. With fingers nervously groping his bag strap, Mikado followed Kida into Tamaka's hospital room.

"You're still beautiful as ever, even with those bandages on your head!" Mikado was surprised to find he agreeing with Kida; Tamaka looked good-given the circumstances, at least. She had obviously recently taken a shower, and had bothered to put on a bit of make-up. Mikado felt almost guilty to be so surprised; he assumed she would have been worse-_weakened_. The only thing that caught him off guard was the black prints on her arms, which seemed to resemble hands. A chill crept down his spine.

"Oh, Kida-kun, Mikado-kun," her lips twitched into a smile, "I didn't know that you were coming to visit me," Mikado pushed forward rather quickly, quickly cutting off his friend before he could make Tamaka any more uncomfortable than she already was.

"Yes, sorry, but we heard about you on the news a-and wanted to make sure you were okay! We come this way after school anyways; s-so we decided to come by..." It took Mikado a moment to notice the broken routine that made him feel momentarily confused; normally Kida would have poked at his stutter. Instead he was staring intently at the cuts and bruises on Tamaka's flesh; Mikado had only once before seen Kida so somber, and that was an accident. Kida is usually more discrete with his emotions, though Tamaka hardly seemed to notice this.

"And what exactly did you hear?" It was then that Mikado noticed that Tamaka's room was bare of any technology-aside from a small digital clock on her side counter. "I have a concussion so I'm not allowed to watch TV, or go on my phone for the next week. Soo I really don't know what's going on outside of these walls…"

Mikado's eyes widened the slightest. "Oh! I-I'm sorry, I didn't know. Um, well the media is saying that your friend was attacked, so you went to save her... You fought off the 'Midnight Monster' and then were hospitalized with minor injuries."

During this time Kida had taken a seat next to Tamaka's bed, his eyes intently focused on her face; Tamaka paid little attention to this. Instead her eyes were locked with Mikado's, brows raised. "_Midnight Monster_?"

Mikado nodded, "that's what they're calling him, since most of his attacks are during that hour." Tamaka's eyes noticeably narrowed as she adjusted her position, this time glancing at Kida.

"Most of his attacks? But, haven't there only been two?"

Mikado felt his frown deepen; Tamaka really didn't know what had been going on for the last few days. He uncomfortably shifted his weight from foot to foot. "Just after you were attacked, the Midnight Monster murdered another girl two blocks from where they found you. And another girl was killed the next night, so in total there have been four murders, but including you and your friend, there have been six recorded incidents."

Tamaka let her eyes fall to her lap, expression falling solemn, "Oh." A silence heavily fell upon them. In the silent room all that could be heard was distance chatter from down the hall and the slow ticking of a clock; Mikado could easily see someone falling mad from being enclosed in that silence. Tamaka has to be a strong girl, Mikado suddenly realized. She, of course, looked a little uneasy by the subject, but was handling it all very well. She appeared to be very sane, despite having recently been attacked by the rumored 'vampire.'

A shudder ran down Mikado's spine; someone online had mentioned the 'vampire' rumor, though Mikado hadn't taken it seriously until the fourth murder-the girl had been drained of blood like all of the previous victims, drained from the slim cuts applied to major arties. The catch was that there were no pools of blood at the crime scenes, and the police had confirmed that the last two were killed on site. So where else could their blood have gone, if it was not collected in any way? And if he really thought hard, a vampire was not a bizarre assumption; not when there's a headless horseman riding around. Mikado examined the bruises on Tamaka's biceps once more. He had originally wanted to question her about the rumor, but what if she's not ready to discuss something like that. The last thing he wanted to do was bring up something that she was trying to suppress…

"You're so brave, Tamaka-chan!" Kida's previous thoughts had banished by the time Mikado next looked at him, instead replaced with his famous charming grin, "a perfect woman; brave, beautiful, loyal-_are you single_?!"

And just like that, the heavy air lifted from the three pairs of shoulders.

The plastic phone felt heavy in Kiko's hands. Her eyes were glued to the vibrant screen, re-reading the speech bubbles until she memorized every letter.

_[I can't wait to meet you-KK] _

**[Me too! I'll be waiting for you by the park. Don't be late~Chrome] **

_[I would never! I'll be there no matter what-even if I have to sneak past my mom!-KK] _

**[Then let's hope you don't get caught, I'd hate for our night to be ruined.]**

**[Remember, 10pm-Chrome] **

_[I'm just about to leave! And mom is sound asleep, so I should be able to sneak out without any problems-KK] _

_[Grand View Park, right? I'm here right now. Where are you?] _

_[…Chrome?]_

_[Did something happen? Are you not coming? Its 10:40…. –KK]_

_[Hey is that you by the fountain? I'm coming over.] _

Kiko ran a finger over the screen, wiping off the accumulated fingerprints. Her chest burned as she re-read the texts, feeling a bit of sorrow, anxiety and anger all mixed together. The room grew cold. She could faintly remember seeing a tall figure by the fountain; it had looked perfectly normal until she got close enough…. And by then, it had already seen her.

The phone creaked in her grasp, but she couldn't restrain the pressure being applied. Those yellow eyes… She could remember those eyes if she merely closed her eyes. Shaped into confident almonds, bearing a subtle but terrifying threatening gleam; they were captivating. Kiko remembered the moment her eyes met his; she found it hard to put up a fight, being too distracted for some stupid reason.

A chime caused her phone to drop and her muscles to tense. She hated how disappointment clenched her throat as she skimmed the new text; it was only another 'get better' wish. Again, Kiko started to re-read the texts.

'_Where did you go?' _

Kiko could not understand such a simple concept; how could she have gotten stood up? It was Chrome who was always pushing for an official meeting; he was the one who kept trying to arrange a date. He was the one who made sure she knew when and where they were meeting, so why didn't he show?!

Kiko stood to walk to the bathroom, catching her own reflection almost immediately. Her vibrant red hair was showing blonde roots; that would be the first thing she does once she's released from the hospital. A new makeover. But until then, her hair could be thrown into a high ponytail, accompanied with a bold ribbon that wrapped around her hair elastic.

Another text. More disappointment.

_Is he hurt?_ She never received another text from him, causing her to feel a knot of nerves in the pit of her stomach. Kiko slowly brought her thumb to the bottom of the screen, hesitant with every movement.

After minutes of staring at the typed words, she sent her message.

~Beep Beep~

The echoed sounds of typing ceased and dark eyes diverted from one screen to another. Slowly, a smile tugged at his lips. Oh, how unpredictable. He hadn't expected to have heard from her, not after the previous night's incidents. But the fact that she did made him want to laugh; what a silly girl.

'_Are you alright?-KK' _

Now, why would he not be alright? He's not the one in the hospital, and was not the one who got stood up. He felt perfectly fine, if not better. He picked up the small cell phone and carelessly held it in one hand, debating if he would drag her on any further. After all, he no longer needed her. Her role in his plans had already been completed. He grinned. He might as well squeeze out a little more entertainment.

'**I'm better than alright, K-chan! Everything is perfect right now, thanks to you~ I've found a new person to entertain me, so this will be the last time I ever contact you. Byeee -Chrome' **

"Izaya, I'm finished.. So I'll be leaving now."

The brunette spun around on his chair as he laughed, throwing a wave to his assistant as she left his suite. Orihara dropped the one-of-many cell phones onto his desk, and instead picked up a beautifully crafted throwing knife. Under his fingertips he could feel how expensive the metal weapons were; Tamaka would certainly be missing such beautifully crafted objects. A single knife represented so much; danger, thrill, beauty, and its unpredictable-like its owner.

Ah, and but there's so much more!

The slim steel whisked through the air, landing with a thud in the wall opposite of Orihara. It dug into the bulls eye, which he had hung in the center of his living room, right by his chess set. It was a new addition that belonged with his other games.

…

…

….

Heels echoed in the secluded alley, giving away the terrified girl's whereabouts. Her eyes widened as she was greeted with a metal fence, hesitating for a split second. And that split second was too long, because she had just wedged her toe into a hole and started to hoist herself up when a strong hand gripped hold of her throat and tore her back.

"H-HELP!" Her squeal fell onto deaf ears. The shadow that originally attacked her easily pinned her against the wire fence, forcing her to face the intruder as it brought its face close to her own. "H-Help…." An overhead light illuminated the two, revealing the contrast of emotions. The girl-the victim-was twisted with a numbing panic, mouth trembling as tears started to overflow. The creature-the attacker- had his lips folded down into a slight frown. He was disappointed. The girl's struggles grew lifeless as her wide, brown eyes were captured by a pair of golden ones.

"Tsk, you're not her," his voice was low, almost like a growl as he whispered near her ear. For the briefest moment he looked as if he was going to pull away and leave, but all signs of that vanished the moment he features adorned a twisted smirk. His next movement was too quick for the girl to recognize; she was forced to merely _feel_ a sharp point drag across the side of her neck, rather than witness it herself. The moment she choked out a gasp, a slick tongue was already attacking the sensitive wound, catching the seeping blood. Her knees grew weak.

An eerie screech filled the air, matching that of a wailing horse.

Suddenly, the vampire was ripped away from the pale girl, his body hitting a wall due to the swipe of a black scythe. Golden eyes narrowed dangerously on the figure clad in black, who stood beside a rumbling motorbike. His hand pressed against his ribs as he slowly moved to stand, watching the familiar intruder with careful eyes. The headless horseman.

The horseman clenched its scythe in it's right hand, muscles tensing as it readied to attack again. The vampire grinned wickedly, flashing a pair of fangs, which momentarily halted the horseman. The vampire took advantage of this, using inhumanly strength to jump to the other side of the fence, landing nearly halfway into the other side of the alley. He smirked.

"She's going to die if you don't save her~"

Seeing the horseman hesitate was all the encouragement the vampire needed for him to confidently sprint further down the alley, not bothering to glance back. He knew that the horseman cared more for the human's safety, than putting him down.

And Celty did.

Her scythe dissolved as she ran towards the fallen girl, forcing her trembling limbs to work on command. It didn't take long for her to bring the girl to a hospital, seeing as there was one in the neighborhood. There was a nurse smoking out front of the doors, who was the first to greet Celty. Within a minute a stretcher was pulled out front, and the bleeding girl was secured onto it, quickly brought in to be treated. But by the time the girl's back was placed on the cot, Celty had already bolted to her bike, mind focused on the possible areas that the vampire could have gone.

A shudder ran through her body as she sped back to the area that she had recently been. _'I have to tell Shinra!'_ she thought nervously, trying to shake off the creepy vibes that vibrated through her limbs, _'I-I have to warn him that vampires are real!'_

**A/N: **I really hope that you guys are enjoying the story so far; please review to let me know if you're enjoying it, and what you'd like to see happen! It really encourages me, and I'd love to hear from you guys.

_Maori-_ Yes, I am defiantly trying to fit in more OC X character time, rather than the oc x oc. I threw in the last scene with Celty just because of your comment~ originally I never included it, but I realized just how far in I am with this story, and I haven't even brought Celty in yet! That'll change though~


	9. Chapter 9

**9. **

The stares occurred less often, Tamaka noted, as she walked down the busy afternoon street. It took a little over a week for the stares to cease, but eventually the people began to forget her face, or chose to no longer care. Tamaka had to admit, she was a bit thankful for that; it was hard to do anything under the pressure of constant prying eyes.

Tamaka twisted her braided hair, eyes catching a glimpse of a television screen through a pub window. It also helped that the 'Midnight Monster' had paused his actions. It's been nearly a week since his last attack, allowing everyone to breathe again-including Tamaka's parents.

It took much convincing from her father to allow her to go out by herself, but somehow she had managed. With a strict curfew, that is. 8:00pm was pushing it for him… But Tamaka decided not to push any further. In some ways, the situation seemed to be tougher on him; there was no new lead on the Monster, which left her father a little more than frustrated.

A glimpse of black cloth caught Tamaka's attention, causing her to pause in mid step. She half expected to see a wicked smirk facing her, but was only greeted with a blurred crowd.

Orihara hadn't made an appearance, either. Mr. Crawford was away on business, or so her mother had mentioned, leaving Tamaka to have nothing but homework.

A ray of sun peaked through twin buildings, shining down on Tamaka's cheeks. She grinned. Maybe the chaos in her life was only a momentary thing.

* * *

Shizuo's eyes were focused on the drifting clouds when Tom suggested they stop for some food, most likely the cause of him spotting Simon. Tom had promised a while ago that they would stop by, and if he didn't hold up to that honor, he would have Simon to deal with. Well, _Shizuo_ would have Simon to deal with.

The large man spotted Shizuo first. "Good afternoon Shizuo, Tom! Want sushi?" Tom smiled.

"Yes, actually; we were just talking about getting some Russian sushi," Simon's eyes lit up, as did his large smile.

"A good day for Russian sushi, too! We have a special deal; dine for two for price of one." Shizuo took the flyer that Simon extended to him, his eyes never once glancing at the colorful paper. "How are you doing today, Shizuo? You look upset," like usual, Simon was correct. The blonde's cigarette snapped between his teeth, the burnt end falling to his feet, while he spat out the opposite end.

"This one guy made me do a lot of work today; damn idiot thought he could get away by going into the sewers."

Tom's chuckle caused Shizuo to narrow his eyes, "Shizuo had to get his hands a little dirty today, so he's not in the best mood right now… This is why I decided to treat him to some Russian sushi; a reward for getting the money back."

Simon opened his mouth to speak, but was distracted before he could speak. Shizuo glanced to the right of himself as Simon said,

"Hey, Tam-a-ka, want Russian sushi?" A brunette girl was standing beside him, wearing a very familiar school uniform. His brows creased; _she looks so familiar. _Her eyes were fastened solely on Simon. "I'll treat you today, as a welcome back gift," Welcome back? Pink dusted her cheeks as she inched closer to Simon, trying to get out of the crowds pull. She pulled her bag closer to her body, awkwardly playing with the strap.

"Oh, no that's fine Simon; I couldn't accept that," _where have I seen her? _

"Oi," brown eyes flashed to meet covered ones[1], "have we met before?" Shizuo could see her hesitation as she looked him over; she most likely knows who he is, and is afraid. It wasn't a new thing to him; more of a daily thing, really. Maybe he had seen her talking to Simon before…

Tom calmly cut in, "you most likely saw her on the news," Shizuo glanced at Tom, who directed his gaze to the short High-Schooler. "You're Tamaka Orin, right?" His eyes widened for a split second, lips falling into a loose frown. When the girl nodded Shizuo found himself giving her a once over. _Tamaka Orin, the girl who was recently attacked-a 'hero', or so the media claims... _He expected her to be… tougher. The girl in front of him looked almost timid; defiantly not a professional fighter. An image of her fighting against the 'Midnight Monster' caused a grin to pull at his lips; he would have paid to see _that _match.

Still, Shizuo felt as if he'd seen her before that. He dismissed the thought when he put a fresh cigarette between his lips, taking a long drag to calm his nerves.

"Anyways, I should get going. Thanks for the offer, Simon, but I'm supposed to meet someone right-"

A shrill screech came from down the road, capturing the attention of everyone nearby. Shizuo's eyes fluttered from Tom to the quickly-gathering crowd, which swarmed around the mouth of an alley. Shouts filled the air, and immediately faces grew panicked, including the smaller one that neared Shizuo's side. Tamaka's entire body took the stiff shape of iron, and her jaw clenched as she watched the reactions of the people around them. Shizuo could only imagine what her instincts were telling her; but that wouldn't be possible-that killer only attacks at night.

"Someone call the Police!"

Shizuo's eyes narrowed. Fighting against what his gut told him, Shizuo pushed forward, surprised to feel bodies brushing his as he got closer to the source of attention-it must be a hell of a mess to allow people to forget who he is. Shizuo didn't have to get that close to see the scene before him; he got a clear view of the body from above the civilians head's. His own limbs tensed upon the scene, his stomach twisting. It was a young girl, like the other victims, with long brown hair. She was petite with slightly shredded clothing, hanging at angles that would _just _allow the prying eyes to catch glimpses of clean slits in her flesh. But that wasn't what made Shizuo pissed. What really got to Shizuo was the way both hands were pinned above her head, a clean blade holding them in place against the wall.

Shizuo had seen enough gang related crimes to know that it was a message; even with all the damage, Shizuo couldn't spot a drop of blood, meaning that her hands weren't pinned during the attack-it was deliberate. The only remaining question is, 'who is the message for?'

Shizuo's eyes tore from the body to the floor, finally noticing his fallen cigarette. A pair of feet, which were positioned right beside his, quickly took off. Shizuo was just able to make out a brown flickering braid, which bobbed its way through the thick crowd. He watched Tamaka until her fleeing form turned a sharp corner, disappearing from sight.

* * *

Under his suit, tie and badge, Haru Orin felt like a wreck. His tongue flicked over his dry lips as he focused on his cell phone, which contained some photos of the most recent crime scene. He had no leads, and the kills weren't going away. Not only were the original patterns changing, but the killer had gotten bolder. Or more desperate.

His fingers tightened around the phone as he flipped onto the last photo; he could feel himself getting nauseous. The knife was the first thing he had noticed-even before the body. He recognized the costly details like it were on his radar; but what father wouldn't notice his child's cherished object at the scene of the crime? It was a gift he had given Tamaka the year before, for her birthday. She had said that most of them were missing after the night she was… Well…

"Ah, Mr. Orin! Sorry, but someone held me up," Mr. Orin's eyes flicked to his late _partner_, who really didn't look all that apologetic. "Can I get you something to drink?" Mr. Orin politely shook his head, feeling a bit awkward with the entire situation.

"No, thank you. I brought my own."

He watched as Mr. Orihara glided over to a coat rack, where he hung his black jacket. "Well, what about a game of darts?" Mr. Orin paused; it was subtle, but he had noticed the way Mr. Orihara's lips curled upon the mention of the game, trying his best to suppress a smirk. The very mention of the game seemed to hold amusement to him, like a one-sided joke. Very suddenly, Mr. Orin felt unbearably uncomfortable. He cleared his throat.

"I actually have to make this meeting short since I have another place I have to be later on," this time Mr. Orihara didn't bother to suppress his smirk; the man moved to behind his desk, never once hiding the bounce in his step. It wasn't hard to tell that he loved the position the two were in.

"How _is _Tama-chan, by the way?" Mr. Orin clenched his jaw, "I'm assuming you're here because of the 'Midnight Monster' case, because the entire situation has gotten very personal, right? This time your daughter was involved, which is most likely what gave you the push to come to me for help… You've never felt a need to before." Mr. Orihara watched as Mr. Orin shifted, forcing slow breaths-it wasn't hard to tell that the man was trying to calm his anger. A vein was starting to flex near his temple.

Mr. Orin ran his thumb over the screen of his phone, before pocketing the device. Mr. Orin cleared his tight throat, forcing away the resentment that tried to leak through. "I haven't called for your assistance because I have never needed it before; but seeing how out-of-hand this situation is becoming, I decided to put aside my pride and consult with you. Despite your… _tainted… _reputation, you are known as a very good information broker, which is the sole reason as to why I have chosen to ask for your assistance."

There was no pause from Mr. Orihara's side, "Hm, my apologies then; I just thought it was an extreme coincidence that you decided to sought me out on the very day that the 'Midnight Monster' came out of hiding! Buut, I must be over-reading things~"

Mr. Orin made a 'humming' noise as he took a needed gulp of black coffee, momentarily wishing it were something with a better bite. "Are you going to help me or not, Mr. Orihara?" his eyes flashed as he leaned forward onto his elbows, causing Mr. Orin to tense the slightest.

"Of course! I will fax you any information that I find regarding the 'Midnight Monster'."

And that was all it took for Mr. Orin to start towards the door, tossing his empty take-out cup into the garbage. "Yes, yes, that'll be very helpful-remember to fax it to my home; I won't bother to give you the number since I'm assuming you already know it."

A coiled smirk was his response, which is the only thing that caused Mr. Orin to pause in the doorway of Mr. Orihara's office. "Izaya," his tone had noticeably dropped, "I can't thank you enough for what you did for Tamaka. However… Stay the hell away from her for now on."

His words hung in the air, even after the door sealed shut and his footsteps receded. For a moment all Izaya could do was stare at the door, his mind pondering over what had made Mr. Orin say such a thing. Well, there were many reasons as to why, but why so bluntly? And after just asking for his assistance.

Izaya's eyes trailed to the red and black dart board that hung opposite of him, allowing a grin to break across his face. Even from the great distance between him and the board, he could see the long imprints that the throwing knife had left. Erratic laughter filled the room, banishing the silence that Mr. Orin had left.

"Humans are so entertaining!"

* * *

Tamaka clutched her knees to her chest, fingers digging into her calves as she stared at the computer screen, examining the way Kiko's face paled. She slightly bit at her lip, "You should have seen it Kiko… It was… awful." Her stomach rumbled, begging for food that Tamaka knew would not hold down. It wasn't the body itself that sent crippling knots to her stomach-it was the principle._ It_ was back. It was back and hunting in daylight. And it had been close to her; just down the street, in fact.

"Kiko… I think it's… Do you think it's after me?" she roughly shook her head, "It used _my knife! _I've seen reports and gangs do the exact same thing when they're trying to scare their rivals."

Tamaka realized then, upon seeing Kiko shift uncomfortably in her bed at home, that she shouldn't have shared such details. But who else would she be able to talk to, if not her best friend? Kiko is the one person who could relate to her, because Kiko had also been the 'Midnight Monster's' victim at some point.

Tamaka moved so that she sat cross legged, toying with an elastic as she watched Kiko rub the top of her left hand-a sign of her concentration. Finally her hazel orbs looked up to the webcam, a slight smile tugging at her lips as she said, "the only reason it would target you is because you're strong; and you _are. _And you have my support, 'kay?" Tamaka watched as Kiko interlocked her hands, "I also trust that your parents are going to put that freak behind bars. They've handled tricky cases before, and I'm sure that they'll totally catch this jackass before he can do anything else."

Kiko sounded so sure. It was the first time Kiko sounded completely confident with herself; and maybe she's right. The Orin family has always been triumphant when it comes to battling crime; why would this be any different? The chilling grip on her stomach lessened with that thought in mind. Tamaka inhaled and exhaled. Then she smiled, forcing a weak laugh.

"You're right, and who knows, maybe it's a good thing because I really do want those throwing knives back!" Kiko chimed with her, causing the atmosphere to lighten. They would be okay; Tamaka had faith in that. Hopefully.

**!Bing! **

A box popped up in the corner of Tamaka's laptop; [1 new message from ]

"Hey, I have to go," she waved to the camera, "I'll see you tomorrow morning, though." And with not much more to say, she exited off her live chat and clicked on the popup, forcing away the sudden tiredness that nagged at her muscles.

The email was short, and at the moment, neglected to bring up any emotions-other than annoyance. It was something about Mr. Crawford wanting to know any new updates, which seemed absurd since Tamaka never actually agreed to help him with his Orihara problem.

Her computer mouse hesitated over the 'reply' button. Sigh. The computer beeped as she clicked the button, and quickly flashed to a blank text box, to which she started to type:

_Mr. Crawford, _

_I understand that Izaya Orihara is a very dangerous man, and I agree that he should be behind bars for the crimes he has committed-I'm sure that soon you will find evidence that will make this happen. However, I cannot help you with this. I do not feel comfortable with being in this position, so I will be mailing the folder back to your office tomorrow morning. I'm sorry but I can't get involved in this. _

_I hope that you understand, _

_Tamaka Orin_

She shut her computer screen the moment the email sent, and allowed her body to melt into the mattress. With one hand she fiddled with the lamp's switch, while simultaneously pulling her quilt up to her armpits. With a faint click, darkness engulfed the small room. The darkness and silence felt refreshing. There were no noises from beyond her bedroom; only the distant sounds of vigorous night life five stories below her suite.

Tamaka enjoyed the night for that reason; she was able to just lay there and breathe-there was no reason for her to get up or worry. Even with the latest incidents, Tamaka felt content with the night.

Half conscious, she hardly noticed the buzzing of her cell phone-what part of her that did notice chose to ignore the call.

All that mattered was sleep.

_That's… All…_

_I… _

_Need… _Tamaka shot up with a suddenly voltage, her muscles humming with energy. Immediately she felt something was off; she felt misplaced. Surrounding her were tall, white walls. It felt like her room, but didn't. Those walls are so tall. Tamaka slowly followed the height of the wall until her neck was craned as far as it could be; her eyes met an exact copy of her own, only this pair was looking down at her.

A reflection?

Tamaka cocked her head to the side, confused when her reflection did not mimic her. All it did was watch, using a pair of duller-looking brown eyes. It was then that Tamaka noticed that her reflection had refused to wear the same clothing as her, too. Her reflection wore a sheer, black dress, which fell down to her ankles, tight fitting all the way down.

"You're not much of a reflection at all," Tamaka's words echoed throughout the elongated room, causing the flimsy structure to groan, as if the words were strong enough to tear the building down. Powdered plaster started to sprinkle down, and small cracks could be seen crawling up the white walls. Tamaka eyed them wearily.

It was during that commotion that the reflection did something very odd. It slowly stood on the bed, limbs stiff as cold rubber, and grinned. But her smile was tainted; it wasn't the kind of smile someone shows when they feel light and fluffy. It's the kind you would imagine a very bad person wearing, or the type you smile when finally seeing your worst enemy crumble.

The reflection lifted a stiff arm, gradually outstretching her hand towards Tamaka, fingers spread like she was trying to grasp something just out of her reach. Tamaka suddenly felt very cold. Her reflection's lips moved slowly, lips forming words, but emitting only silence. Still, even with her words unheard, she was able to grin.

[1] I tired to avoid saying 'sunglasses', so I tempted to use a different way to explain them…. And Failed.

**Authors Note: **^^Just in case you were a bit confused, the last bit was Tamaka's dream.

Dun Dun Daaaaa. What do you guys think about this chapter? Mr. Orin (Tamaka's father), has struck a business deal with Izaya, the MM is starting to attack during the day, and Tamaka has just had a real weird dream…. What will come out of this? Well, I guess you'll have to keep reading ( ;

BTW, next chapter is meant to build Izaya and Tamaka's relationship. It's allllll about Izaya in that one~ Thanks for the reviews! I'm aiming to start getting 2 per chapter. Please help me reach this goal!


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